Movie Review: 'Gran Torino'

This is the part where I act like an authority on entertainment, and criticize the work of professionals who are, without exception, more successful than I in the industry in which we both work. Some people would say this is proof I have "balls", or "chutzpah" in Jewspeak. Others would say it's proof I'm a "douchebag". To catch up on any old reviews, you can find the link on the right hand side of the page, or just click here.

When I first saw the trailers for ’Gran Torino’, with Eastwood sneering, and pointing a gun, and growling “Get off my lawn” at some kids, I thought, “It’s ‘Dirty Harry 6: Grumpy Old Man’.” But after seeing the actual film, it’s clear his character, Walt Kowalkski, is much closer to William Munney in ’Unforgiven’ than anything else he’s done.

Walt, a retired car factory worker, is a bitter old man who’s seen too much, done things he bitterly regrets, and has resorted to hiding behind a gruff, grumpy, bigoted shell. He’s shut out his kids, his grandkids, everyone around him -- save for a drinking buddies he trades racist jokes with. His neighborhood has become filled with Hmong immigrants from Vietnam, and keeps mainly to himself.

But when Walt loses his wife, there’s a huge void in his life, and that opening dovetails with a couple of incidents with his Hmong next door neighbors, the Lors. First, Walt catches their teenage son Thao Lor (Bee Vang) trying to steal his prized possession, the titular Ford classic (which just happens to be the same model Dirty Harry used to drive). Next, he’s awoken by Thao and family’s struggle with a local Hmong gang trying to recruit him. Both feature Walt pointing a gun at the kids, but before long, he’s taken a liking to Thao and his sister, Sue (Ahney Her). He doesn’t say this, mind you -- that would be too sappy for crusty old Walt. He’s still calling them offensive things like “gook” and ”slope”, but you can see his attitude change.

What occurs in the second act is predictable -- a feel-good story of acceptance, redemption, and humanity. But Eastwood’s portrayal of Walt -- more than his technique -- lifts up the material. In fact, it’s Eastwood the director who seems to be a touch off his game here, with a couple of awkward scenes which seem overly staged. That may have something to do with the fact he used novices Vang and Her to play the two major parts besides his. More than anything, it seems Eastwood -- known for using just one take -- shot this movie in about two weeks.

But that’s not to say the film isn’t engaging. It is. And the story, while quite predictable, is easy to like. The screenwriter, novice Nick Schenk, lives in Minnesota and wrote about the world around him, so it’s no surprise it comes off as genuine. Schenk, a writer for wrestling shows, wrote the whole screenplay in a neighborhood bar before getting it to a friend in Hollywood. The script eventually made its way to Eastwood, who decided to make it without changing a word.

Because Eastwood is willing to do that -- leave things as is, without multiple re-writes and takes -- the film comes off as low maintenance, never overdone. The kids come off as real -- not “movie kids” -- and Walt’s arc seems organic and sub-textual. In short, the film never feels like an after-school special, though its message would fit there nicely (it's language would not). It’s got plenty of heart without manipulating your emotions, or trying to hard. With one exception: Eastwood’s growling -- literally growling -- to show Walt’s displeasure goes a little over the top for my tastes.

The third act is less predictable than the second, and the climax is a jarring, if not completely unexpected jolt. It’s not going to be for everybody, and I’m not sure it was 100% for me when I first saw it. But upon further reflection, I think the resolution is apt, and earned -- even foreshadowed if you think about it hard enough. The ending is sweet, but not saccharine. However, the last seconds are a bit uncomfortable as Eastwood's singing voice makes its first appearance, belting out the film's theme song. It's not that Eastwood can't hack it, I just felt it a little out of place. Perhaps, if the film was already over and the credits rolling, it might have seemed less like breaking the fourth wall to have the film's lead singing the theme song.

Small flaws aside, ’Gran Torino’ is an unexpected pleasure, a simple, touching story about the battle for one man’s soul. It isn’t popcorn cinema, nor is it an art film, but it has a little for everybody. That being said, I think there are just enough minor flaws -- a bit heavy-handed, a bit predictable, a bit stilted at times -- to keep it out of the Oscar race.

Using the age-old Hollywood scale of judgment -- HIGHLY RECOMMEND/RECOMMEND/CONSIDER/PASS (circle one) -- I rate 'Gran Torino':

RECOMMEND

Next up: 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'